Ozai: Origin of Zuko
by Musable
Summary: She stole her father armor. Impersonated a soldier. Won the love of Prince Ozai. And gave birth to the greatest one of all, Zuko. Let's just say Zuko's mama isn't your average girl. Like her son she was banished. Like Mother Like Son.
1. The Valley Camp

Ozai: The Origin of Zuko

An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic

By: Karen Rosenthal

Introduction

I got my inspiration for this story after watching Disney's Mulan...ya you can guess where this is going. The 'Shang' character is Ozai...just altered. Ozai is still Prince and has a simple ponytail like Prince Zuko, his son. Zuko isn't even a thought; Ozai is about 15 or 16 in this story. He looks like young Zuko in 'The Storm.' The 'Mulan' character is a made up character named Tala. It is before girls where allowed into the fire nation army (yes they are...pay attention to what Zhou says in 'The Blue Spirit'). She's the reason Ozai allowed women into the army. Tala goes into the army; using the name...can you guess it...Zuko. When she showed up at the army, they thought she was a boy. Well...you get the story...so let's start a little before Tala goes to the army...we'll rewind the story a little.

Chapter One - The Valley Camp

"Zuko..." said Ozai looking down at his eight-year-old son.

"Yes. Father." Zuko stood by his father's side.

"Did I ever tell you who you were named after?" Ozai couldn't look at his son with out being reminded of a younger version of himself, or seeing the love of his life shine through Zuko's eyes.

"No." Zuko said. "But Uncle Iroh told me once that I was named after the bravest soldier you ever knew."

"Yes you were." Ozai sounded a little upset that Iroh had told him such a thing with out his consent. "Zuko was the bravest soldier I ever knew. She was always a soldier...never anything more...just a soldier." Ozai knew that Zuko was a soldier, but the real person wasn't ever a soldier to him, but a traitor.

"She?" Zuko said raising an eyebrow.

"Yes...It was before women were allowed to enter the fire nation army." Ozai said thinking back on the memory. "Sit down, son and I will tell you the story." Ozai and Zuko sat down in a room where there was nothing but them and a fire. "It was spring...I was about 15..."

"Ozai." said the fire lord's voice.

"Yes, father." Ozai bowed in respect towards his father. His black hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. The sun reflected off of his armor.

"I need you to send a draft letter to every home requesting that any available man is to report to the Valley Camp on Thursday by 0900 hours."

"But father, how am I supposed to distribute hundreds of letters in a matter of about a day? It's only Tuesday."

"I didn't say you had to deliver them all...I said send them..." the fire lord walked off and Ozai mounted his rhino carrying letters behind him. As he sped off he ran into his brother, Iroh, and his best friend, Zhou.

"Hey Zhou!" Ozai said.

"Prince Ozai!" Zhou bowed.

"No need to bow do you think you could help me distribute these letters?"

"What kind of letters?" Iroh asked in a childish 'I haven't hit puberty yet' voice.

"None of your business pipsqueak. It's nothing that concerns you. Father happened to put this task to me...the OLDER one..." Ozai stuck his tongue out at his little brother.

"Good one..." Zhou said. "But sure I will...just let me get a Rhino and I'll help you." Zhou ran off.

"You're just jealous because I can kick your ass at Pi-cho!" Iroh shouted.

"Not true!"

"Oh yes, it is!"

"I don't have to listen to this!"

"Fine ignore me! I'll just tell Dad about that little village girl I caught you with!"

"What girl!" Ozai said in a 'you wouldn't dare bring that up now' voice.

"You know...black hair, pretty eyes, fire bender-"

"There are a lot of girls like that!"

"O really! How come it's THIS one that I caught you 'sewing your royal oats'?"

"Shut-up you little runt!" Ozai turned red.

"Prince Ozai...you actually?" Zhou said on his rhino looking like he was about to laugh.

"Hey! I'm a Prince I can do whatever I want!" Ozai shouted.

"Does that mean that I can-" Iroh started.

"No! You can't!"

"Why not! I'm a Prince too!"

"You're too young, plus you'll never be fire lord!" Ozai shouted. "That privilege belongs to me! And when I have a son it'll be his! You'll never get your chance!"

"Fine! DAD!" Iroh shouted.

"FINE!" Ozai shouted. "Have it your way! Help...these are draft letters. Deliver them to the Southern and Eastern villages. I'll take the Northern Villages, and Zhou can take the Western Villages. And here is a royal seal so people will take you seriously." He handed them each a pendant with the fire nation crest on it in gold. Ozai started off with a couple hundred letters. "If it makes you happy!" Ozai shouted back towards Iroh. "I gave you the village with that girl in it!"

"He doesn't even know her name..." Iroh muttered. "Oh ya...he's spoiled."

Ozai rode towards stopping at each village, making the young girls there flock to his presence. He had them deliver them to their fathers in exchange for a kiss. That way he would get a free kiss and not have to a lick of work. Besides, girls were just so damn infatuated with him he could make them do whatever he wanted. When he got the last village it was dusk and he only had about a hundred more draft letters to distribute. Unfortunately this last village only went to war for the nation because they had to. The men could care less about the fire lord's family. But the daughters all hoped to be Prince Ozai's bride when the time came in a few years. When the girls flocked to his presence the men stared at him in rage as he'd kiss their daughters and sent them off doing his work.

"Spoiled little prince..." They'd mutter. As Ozai handed the last few letters to some girls. Something caught his eye. The one girl who didn't flock to his presence. She had shoulder length silky black hair. Her eyes were brown, but not just any brown. The brown that anyone could get lost in. She was getting water from a well. When she'd finally get the bucket to the top of the well, she'd reach out and the rope would slip sending the bucket back down. "Dammit!" she'd shout as steam would come from her nose. This was girl could fire bend, which would explain Ozai's attraction.

"Allow me to help." Ozai said when he reached her. He took the rope from her hand and started to hoist the bucket up.

"Thank you..." She panted. It was a heavy bucket. "Tala..."

"Pardon..." Ozai said.

"I'm...Tala..." She said, not looking at him, she was looking down at the floor.

"You can call me Ozai."

"Prince Ozai!" Tala bowed. She didn't know that Ozai was helping her. She started blushing.

"No need to bow...you might draw attention to yourself." Ozai said untying the bucket. He handed it to her.

"Thank you..." Tala bowed again and quickly left.

"Wait! Who's your father?" Ozai called out.

"Reli!" She said turning the corner.

"Hey..." He turned to one of the girls he had just given a letter to. "Let me see one of those...I need to make a personal delivery." He took the letter from the girl and hopped onto his rhino towards the direction where Tala went. When he got there he knocked on the door. Reli, Tala's father, answered the door.

"I have a letter for you...from my father...the fire lord." He said handing him the letter. Ozai looked behind him for Tala.

"...F-fire lord..." Reli stuttered. "You're not here to take her from me...are you?...tell your father...that I won't let him take her away...not yet...she's not even 15 yet...please don't take her..."

"What are you talking about?" Ozai asked rather rudely.

"You're Prince Iroh aren't you...Tala's fiancé..."

"Fiancé? Tala is engaged to my brother! What the hell!"

"...woops...you're Ozai aren't you...?"

"Yes...who did you think I was...my brother hasn't even hit puberty yet! Why would Tala be his fiancé!"

"Your fathers command! He said the age didn't matter...he said that Iroh deserved her...because you got the choice of free bride...he thinks that your brother since he has to suffer by betrothal...he deserved someone as beautiful as Tala..."

"WHAT!" Ozai was enraged. He took his anger out on Reli. He threw Reli into a wall and started burning him badly. Tala was hidden behind a door outside. She had gone to find some food. She saw Ozai throw her father into the wall and she heard her father scream. The only time she heard him scream. She slid down the wall with her hand over her mouth, and tears in her eyes.

"Daddy..." she whispered as her father's screams ceased. She heard Ozai grunt as he left. When he opened the door it hit Tala. He looked behind the door, and saw her mortified expression. "Daddy..." she whispered again. "You killed him..." She didn't look at him as her eyes swelled with tears.

"Tala..." he said in a comforting tone, he knelt down beside her. She pushed him away as she stood up and started running into the woods surrounding their village. "Wait!" he called after her. He ran after her grabbing her by the upper arm. She struggled in his grasp.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "Let me go! Get out of my life! I don't want to have anything to do with you or your family! Let me go!" Her eyes were full of tears and her cheeks were puffy and her nose was red, yet she still looked beautiful.

"No! I don't want to let you go!" Ozai said slightly raising his voice.

"Please let me go! Your family took away everything I had! EVERYTHING! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ME! YOU CAN'T TAKE ME!" She teared as she fell to the ground with Ozai still holding her arm.

"But I want you..."

"You can want me all you want...but I'm not yours...I'm the one thing you can't get your grimy little murdering arms around...because I'm your brothers so LIVE with it!" As she shouted this Ozai started to burn the part of her that he held in his hand. Tala screamed. After her whole arm was covered in flame he stopped. When he let go the flame went down. Tala grabbed her scorched arm.

"Never...tell me I can't have something...I AM THE PRINCE! I WILL COME TO RULE THIS NATION! YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T HAVE!" He grabbed her off the ground.

"You've already taken my mother, brother, sister and father! Why should I give you me!"

"Because I said so!" Ozai said forcing her onto his Rhino. Tala tried to escape, but it was ineffective. He tied her hands using some rope he'd taken off the bucket.

"NO! PLEASE! I'm not yours! You can't do this too me!" Tala shrieked.

"Ozai!" came the strict voice of the fire lord.

"What! Oh father..." Ozai bowed gracefully.

"What are you doing to this poor girl?"

"Ruining my life!" Tala shouted.

"Silent!" The fire lord sent her a warning flame.

"I'm making her mine..."

"By force..."

"By any means necessary..."

"You may not have her...she belongs to your brother and you cannot take her away." The fire lord sounded pissed off. "Now release her."

"But father..."

"I SAID...release her." Ozai grudgingly untied her and she ran off. "How'd you get here anyway?" Ozai said as he and his father started to leave.

"I can't let you go somewhere alone without something going wrong...so I followed at a far distance...and when I heard Tala screaming I came here."

"Why can't I have her...?" Ozai ordered.

"Son...you can't everything you want in life...and I believe that Tala is the one beautiful thing you can't take form your brother."

"But she should belong to me!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice to me ever again!"

"Or what!"

"Or I'll deny you your crown..."

"What?"

"And don't think I won't do it." He warned.

As they rode off Tala ran into her house and saw her father's charred lifeless body against the wall. "Daddy..." Tala said closing her eyes. "I can't believe him...he..." She fell to the floor in tears. When she sat up again she saw the letter Ozai had given him lying on the floor. Tala picked it up. She opened it up. "Drafted...Valley Camp..." she read. "Your head officer is-" Tala gasped dropping the letter. "Captain Ozai..." It just brought more tears to her eyes. She cried late into the night. Suddenly she stopped. She tied her hair in the ceremonial ponytail of a soldier. Then put on her fathers fire armor. She didn't know what she was doing. She just felt like taking her fathers place in the army...maybe she'd be killed and could join him where he rested. She then got on a spare Rhino in the village and started towards the Valley Camp. When she got there on Thursday she was really tired and her butt hurt from sitting on the rhino. The place was full of stupid chattering men. She got off her rhino and walked around. She dodged men who were bragging about their fire bending skills. As she was looking at the bragging men she ran into a really BIG fire bender.

"Sorry..." she said in her girlish voice.

"Watch were you're going!"

"I said sorry..."

"I don't care what you said..." He said right up in her face. She recognized this guy. He was from her village. His daughter, Careson, was her best friend.

"Camil..." she said.

"How do you know who I am?" Camil demanded.

"Your daughter's my..." she changed to her man voice. "I know your daughter."

"You keep your little hands off of her!" He grabbed her shoulders.

"I've uhh...never touched her..." she said trying her best to sound like an adolescent boy.

"If you can speak about it in that casual tone than you have! I'll kill you!" he aimed a fire punch at her, which she ducked just in time. It hit the guy behind her who began to fight Camil. In moments a huge fight erupted. Tala ducked as to not get herself hurt.

In a tent at the camp Ozai sat with his father and Iroh, discussing ways to train new recruits. "Ozai, Iroh I'm counting on you two to train them well. Especially you...Captain..." He smiled at Ozai's title.

"You have my word father..." Ozai bowed his head respectfully as they left the tent. They saw the fight before them.

"Good luck Ozai..." Iroh and the fire lord said. The fire lord took some of the men that weren't fighting and left.

"Cease...Desist! Stop biting his ear off!" Ozai shouted trying to get the men to stop. Iroh whistled really loudly and they stopped, and moved aside to reveal a Tala who was under her armor in a ball under them.

"He started it..." They said in Unison.


	2. What's in a Name?

Chapter Two - What's in a Name?

Tala stood up. And looked upon the face of Ozai. He looked highly pissed off. Then she looked at the face of her little Prince Iroh. "What's your name?" Ozai demanded.

"Uhh...ummm..." Tala said.

"I believe 'The Prince' has just asked you a question." Iroh said.

"I have a name..." she said in her girl voice.

"What is it...?" Ozai was getting impatient.

"It's Uhh...zuuuuuuuko...ya...ZUKO!" she said in a guy voice.

"Zuko?" He asked.

"Yup...Zuko..."

"How old are you? It sounds like your voice still cracks."

"Uhh...fourteen..." Zuko said.

"A little young to be a soldier aren't you?"

"A little young to be a captain aren't you!" Zuko retorted.

"Let this serve as a warning. I am YOUR commanding officer. Therefore YOU do as I say. Got it?" Ozai said. "Let's start training. On Saturday we head into the earth nation." Ozai proceeded to take off his armor, to reveal a very fit chest for someone his age. Zuko blinked at him for a minute and noticed that the men around her were doing the same thing...but Ozai by far looked the best. Iroh didn't do anything. "Aren't you going to remove your armor?" Ozai raised an eyebrow.

"No..." Zuko mumbled.

"Why not?"

"...Uhh...I'm squeamish?"

"Squeamish huh..."

"No..."

"Then why not?"

"Because...I'm not going to...Uhh have time to take off my clothes...in...Uhh combat...so why not just go ahead and practice...with my armor on." Zuko said off the top of her head.

"The squeamish one has a point." Iroh said.

"Fine...train with your armor on...you'll be a target." Ozai said grabbing Zuko's arm and tying her to a tree.

"Target?"

"Captive earth bender of course..." Ozai said simply.

"WHAT!" Zuko said in her girl voice. "You can't do that...Uhh" She switched to guy voice. "I mean uhh...sure...so I have to evade you all...in order to escape."

"Something like that..." Ozai said lining up the others. As he lined them up Zuko started to burn the ropes tying her hands together. But it was ineffective. Zuko could see the archers in the trees. _O shit...I forgot that he has archers...they can pin a fly to a tree with out killing it...shit..._Zuko started to think random thoughts in her head as the troops prepared to...kill her. _All hope is lost...I'm going to die...I'm coming family...wait for me..._Zuko suddenly felt a flame inside of her she hadn't felt before. "This isn't how I die?" She said. As flames raced towards her, along with arrows, she flipped upside down. So she looked like a spider in the middle of the tree. The ropes were around the tree making her hands stay steady. The flames just missed her and an arrow cut the ropes. _Is armor really this flexible and agile?_ She thought climbing up the tree. The archers followed her. She saw the trees around her catching on fire.

She tried to think quickly but it was kind of hard, because she was being followed by arrows and flames. She saw an archer charging towards her. She jumped over him and landed behind him. She grabbed his neck and used him as a shield against incoming arrows. She took his arrows and bow as she hopped from branch to branch, higher and higher up the tree. She let him go when she got to the top of the tree. _How do I work this thing?_ She asked herself. She randomly guessed at it and shot an arrow at an archer. It went way off course and hit an archer she didn't even know was there. _Damn this is hard._ She jumped down the tree and hit a few branches as she fell into the flames. She felt someone catch her. _Wait! I'm not supposed to get caught!_ She pulled out of the hands that grabbed her. She was completely surrounded by flames. She didn't know where to go. She saw the hands disappear. She took a step back and ran into Ozai.

"Oh Shit..." She backed away as Ozai tried to grab her. She spun her foot around kicked him in the head sending him to the ground. The flames vanished, and the arrows stopped shooting as she aimed an arrow at his head and placed her foot at his throat. The other troops could be seen through the trees. They all gasped.

"With the snap of my fingers..." Ozai said. "I could burn you to shreds." Zuko put the edge of her boot at his neck as she held the arrow steadily.

"And with the flick of my wrist..." She said in threatening male voice. "I could shatter your sorry ass..."

"Wow! She managed to evade all those flames and arrows AND she pinned you down!" Zuko stared in amazement at his father.

"Don't remind me..." Ozai muttered. "Anyways..."

"Clearly...I underestimated you..." Ozai said heavily.

"That's what you get if you make me your captive...and if you noticed...I didn't fire bend..." Zuko removed her boot and put the arrow away. She turned from him. "Once..." She walked back towards the camp.

"No one beats me and gets away with it." Ozai muttered. "I'll get you eventually. And when I do...sweet revenge is mine."

The rest of the day they used basic firebending stances. Then the next day they tried more advanced stances. On Friday night Zuko stood at the edge of the forest. Everyone else was stuffing their faces and telling horror stories. They didn't notice she had slipped away. As she stood there she looked at the moon.

"You know..." she said to herself in a whisper."The moon looks the same...no matter how far you are away from home." She smiled and shed a tear. "Daddy..." she whispered. "I'm sorry...you're probably just lying there. In our house, covered with bugs because I didn't prepare a funeral service. I just left you...I'm sorry father." She bowed down on her knees and folded her hands in a prayer stance. She began to pray to something above. Something that would protect her fathers spirit. So it wouldn't seek revenge on her. Ozai walked up as she prayed. She was still in her armor.

"What are you doing?" He asked rather rudely.

"Praying..." She said in her male voice.

"Why?"

"Because..." She thought of the first thing came to mind. "It's best to pray to protect your loved ones while one's away at war."

"Who'd you leave behind?"

"Uhhhh...my girlfriend..." She said quickly.

"Really? You're praying for her?" Ozai had a puzzled look. "Usually you're supposed to pray for victory in war...or to be blessed with many women."

"Do you not have a heart?" Zuko sounded mad.

"What are you talking about? Of course I have a heart!"

"I mean a feeling heart...I've heard stories about you...you just care about who you do next...or how soon you'll become the fire lord." Zuko stood up out of her prayer. She maintain her stern male voice. "You almost kidnapped a girl my village for your own pleasure...I haven't got a good view of you yet..." Zuko walked away into a tent.

Ozai stood there for a minute to take in what he'd just heard. "That jerk talked back to me! No man has ever done that before...EVER!" He walked back into the camp frustrated. "ALRIGHT LIGHTS OUT MEN! NOW! EARLY START TOMORROW! WE HAVE TO BATTLE EARTHBENDERS!" He shouted as he stormed into his tent. Iroh was in there waiting for him.

"What's wrong?" Iroh asked setting up a game of pi-sho. "Maybe a nice game of pi-sho will ease your pain."

"I don't want to play pi-sho!"

"You shouldn't keep things bottled up you know." Iroh said. "Because you'll end up releasing it all in one burst on the wrong person."

"Shut-up!" Ozai threw the game outside the tent.

At the crack of dawn, Ozai woke up the troops. After a quick breakfast and after they all got their armor on, they marched onto a ship that took them to the earth nation. When they reached the shore, the earth benders were waiting. Zuko could feel her stomach fall into her knees. She was nervous. More nervous than when she was tied to the tree a few days before. The earth benders viciously attacked them as they exited the ship. Zuko found herself face to face with an earth bender, within moments. She started to fight fire with earth. She saw the men around her falling. There was no doubt that these were experienced earth benders.

She soon found herself fighting six or seven as opposed to one. A rock hit her helmet, knocking it off. Her ceremonial ponytail whipped around as she threw fire at two of them at once. "I've got the Prince!" Came a voice. "Pull back! Take as many captives as possible!" The earth benders started to move in closer. _Oh shit! I don't want my secret found out by earth benders..._ As they grabbed her she set herself ablaze burning their hands. She then grabbed two by the collar and shoved them into each other. They hit each other in the head. She took out two arrows (she had kept the bow and arrows) and shot them into the necks of each of the men then turned to the other five.

They sent rocks at her. She ducked and then shot at one but missed and instead hit the one to the right of him. "Woops..." she said as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her from behind. She lifted her foot back, and full of flames it hit the earth benders crotch causing him to let go of her. She then grabbed his arm and swung him around so he knocked three others to their knees. When she let go he flew and hit the edge of the fire nation ship. He slid down as one of the earth benders got up and hit her over the head with a shield. She lost her balance. She felt her eyes roll into her head as she hit the ground.

When she came to she was shackled and in the back of a wagon with four other fire benders (including Ozai and Iroh). "Where am I?" She said in her male voice since she was used to using it now. Camil was in the crate along with a skinny fire bender she didn't recognize.

"Well we're in a crate full of the last remaining troops from the camp." Ozai said. "But there's nothing to worry about since we're all about to DIE!"

"It took forever to get us all in here because they wanted to capture you because they saw how well you fought. They wouldn't leave until you were captured. I didn't know you could fight like that..." Iroh said.

"What's thing made of...wood?" Zuko changed the subject.

"Ya...but there's earth benders at every inch of it." Camil said.

"Every inch huh..." Zuko smirked. "I have an idea."


	3. Found Out

Chapter Three - Found Out

Camil stood at one wall, Iroh at another, Zuko at another, the other fire bender at the final wall, and Ozai stood in the center of the crate. "One...Two...Three..." Zuko said. "Now!" In their shackles the force of their flames knocked down the walls and pushed the top off. It landed on their surrounding earth benders. They started to burn random earth benders until they found the one with the keys. "Got the keys." Zuko said kicking the earth bender hard in the head. She bent down and grabbed the keys with her mouth and ran along the edge of the cliff, with the others closely behind her. They ran until they found a forest. When they reached the forest they were all tired, but Zuko forced them on until they found a waterfall in the forest. She spat the keys out on the ground and dipped her face into the pond under the waterfall.

"How did you know this was here...?" Iroh asked.

"I didn't." Zuko panted as she pulled her head out of the water.

Camil picked the keys up with his teeth and began to undo Ozai's shackles. When he was free Ozai began to walk off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Camil asked.

"Away from here."

"Why!" Zuko said. "It's your obligation to as commanding officer to stay with your troops! Now get back here and help us!" Ozai reluctantly walked back mumbling something along the lines of 'when I'm fire lord i'll change that...' After they were all free they stretched their arms. That night they slept at the edge of the pond in the moonlight. Zuko sat up and looked at the moon again.

"You...soldier..."Ozai said coming to sit next to Zuko.

"Yes captain..."

"You saved my life back there...the earth lord would have killed me...but you saved me...us...you saved us all...now...being the fire nation rule...I owe you a life...a life for a life as they say..."

"Ya..." Zuko looked down. "A life for a life..." she remembered when Ozai killed her father. She remembered when the fire lord killed the rest of her family. "An eye for an eye..." She lay down and hid her face from him.

She woke up the next morning. She was the only one awake. The sun had just barely risen. She rolled up the edges of her pants, since they weren't coated in armor, and dipped her feet in the pond. She walked in the shallows so that the water was knee deep. She got behind the waterfall and did a little dance to just be herself. She missed being a girl this weekend. She heard footsteps and turned around, no one was there. She looked through the waterfall at the others. Iroh was up looking around.

"Iroh..." she whispered closing her eyes and putting her hands over her heart. She saw him look at her. Then she quickly put her hands down. A look of anger appeared on her face. She had been forced to love him...after all. But she preferred him to Ozai.

"Question?" Zuko asked.

"What?" Ozai was irritated his story kept getting interrupted.

"How do you know what goes on in her life...it's like you're an omniscient narrator...?"

"She told me all of this at a later time." Ozai said quickly. "Anyways..."

When she looked up again she saw Ozai talking to Iroh. Then Ozai came walking towards her. "What are you doing back here?"

"Enjoying the view..." Zuko said. "Why do you feel the need to ask me what I'm doing every time I'm away...?"

"Because-"

"You think I'm plotting against you...I saved your life I'm not about to turn on you...or are you homosexual..."

"What! You know you are one of the most unloyal soldiers I have ever met..."

"ONE of the most...well...if it helps I LOATHE you entirely..."As Zuko said this Ozai walked away. As the other two woke up Zuko dove off the edge, from behind the waterfall.

"What is he doing?" Camil asked.

"Hmm...fishing I think..." Iroh said.

"FISHING!" Ozai shouted. "NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO FISH!" and sure enough Zuko came back up with a fish in her mouth.

"Ok that's it!" Ozai said as she spat the fish out on the ground. "Take off your armor..."

"Why." Zuko said quickly.

"Because it'll get all rusty if you jump into the water with it on...now take it off!"

"No!"

"Take it off! Every man takes off his armor once in a while...now take it off..."

"NO!"

"Take it off..."

"Make me!"

"You're trying my patience boy..."

"I'm not taking it off." As Zuko said this Ozai charged at her and started to fight her. Camil, Iroh and the other fire bender watched as they fought without flames.

"I'm taking it off!"

"Get offa me you faggot!"

"Take it off!"

"No! I'm not going to satisfy your need to see the naked flesh!"

"Just take of the armor."

"No!" As she shouted that Ozai ripped off the top metal portion of it. The cloth underneath revealed her as a girl. Ozai grabbed her wrists with one hand and held them up to her head.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ozai shouted trying to conceal laughter. "You're a girl!"

"What the?" everyone else said in unison.

"Look see for yourself!" Ozai stood her up and showed her to them.

"Get your hands off of me you filthy little creep!" Tala shouted.

"Tala?" Camil said. "Is that you...?"

"Tala!" Ozai and Iroh shouted.

"That stupid bitch from the village..." Ozai threw her on the ground.

"Tala?" Iroh was still in shock.

"Yes! I am Tala..."

"YOU snuck into MY army!" Ozai was furious. "YOU made ME believe you were a damn good fighter! Who knows they probably knew you were a girl so they let you think you were winning!"

"Hey look, I saved your life!"

"As if!"

"You said so yourself!"

"Egni-kai..." Ozai said.

"NO!" Tala shouted standing up. "I will not fight you."

"Yes, you will."

"No, I won't..."

"YES, YOU WILL YOU ARROGANT BITCH!"

"It's already been proven that I'm a better fighter than you! Egni-kai will do you NO good!"

"Stand up and fight against me! I am YOUR commanding officer! You WILL fight me."

"A fight against a girl, Ozai." Iroh spoke gently and closed his eyes. "That seems highly unjust." Ozai looked at Iroh.

"You're right it would be unjust." Ozai looked at Tala. "I only ask that you bow in apology."

"Ok..." Tala didn't know where this was going so she got down on her knees and bowed. When she looked up at Ozai she saw only flames. It burned her so intensely she let out a scream in pain. She heard the men gasp. When the flames died down, they looked at her with their mouths open.

"You're banished from the fire nation!" Ozai started to walk. "And there is no return."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Iroh shouted.

"I can do whatever I want."

"YOU'RE NOT FIRELORD YET OZAI!"

"I might as well be." Ozai said.

"Father won't let you banish her. Not after what you've done."

"I'll deal with him." Ozai said. "Move out." The men started to leave. Ozai was the last one to leave. "A life for a life, my debt is repaid."

For awhile Tala sat there letting her face burn. She crawled towards the water's edge and saw a scar over her left eye. She took her hair out of the ponytail and fell into the water rippling the image. "I'm sorry father...I should be with you." She began to cry as it started to rain.

"There's one..." said a voice. Tala didn't dare look up.

"You let her live! And you banished her!" Zuko was in shock. "I wonder what that must feel like."

"Would you quit interrupting or you'll know what it feels like." Ozai threatened. "Now no more interruptions! Well a few years later..."

"Well Ozai." said the fire lord. "Now is the time. You are 20 and it is time to assume the throne."

"Ready as I'll ever be." Ozai said in ceremonial fire lord armor. He was getting married in a few days and today he was showing his fiancé to the world. He hadn't even met her yet. As punishment for banishing his brother's fiancé he must have an arranged marriage and Iroh would have a free marriage. It was some Earth Princess. It was a con on the earth nation. The fire nation was marrying because they wanted to take over the earth nation borders and the earth nation was forced into the marriage.

"It is the time." The fire lord led him to the entrance hall where a girl dressed in elegant green stood with her back towards them. There were two ladies-in-waiting at either side, making a total of four. They all had short black hair and a hairpiece that covered the left side. When the princess spun around she wore a green hairpiece like the ladies-in-waiting. She opened a fan to cover her mouth. Her visible eye shone with the radiance of the earth. Ozai couldn't help but blush.

"Her highness, the earth Princess of eighteen years Ms Milieu." Said a lady-in-waiting as Milieu stretched out her green nail polished nails. Green glitter came from the fingertips and towards her mid hand. She looked like a shimmering green emerald. Ozai reluctantly took it and kissed it gently. He then took it and started to lead her towards a balcony where she would be presented to the fire nation. The ladies-in-waiting filed in two lines. Behind Milieu. Before they got to the balcony the ladies-in-waiting attacked the fire lord. Milieu twisted Ozai's hand behind his back.

"What the hell?" Ozai said as his arm was twisted behind him painfully. He flipped the Princess over his head and she fell to the ground. The headpiece fell off. A hideous scar stood on the left side of her face. Her black hair fell down into her face. It took Ozai a minute to find out who she was.

"Tala?" He raised an eyebrow then he got mad. "You're supposed to be banished!"

"As if the great Prince could keep me from my country!"

"And how the hell are you the earth princess!"

"Well I'm not you dipshit!"

"Huh?" Ozai was confused. The ladies-in-waiting got burned. Only one of them wasn't fighting.

"I'm her body guard." Tala stood up and removed the green robe. She wore an earthbender outfit. It was in Chinese style. It was green with a white floral design. She wore a pair of white pants beneath it. It match perfectly with her glitter hands. "And if you want the princess...you're going to have to finish me off."

The girl who wasn't fighting stood forward. "She's right...I'm Milieu. It was her idea. She said it would protect me..." The princess twiddled her fingers.

"Stay quiet princess." Tala commanded. "This is personal." Tala crouched into a fighting pose. "You want your Egni-kai...well here it is." Ozai looked at her for a minute. "I'll make you a deal. I'll fight. But if I win...you do as I say...and if you win...you're punishment is lifted."

"No." Tala said. "You originally wanted this battle to show off your arrogance. Changing the rules won't matter."

"There are no rules." Ozai said as the fire lord came up behind Tala and threw her into the wall. The three ladies-in-waiting were unconscious on the floor. As Tala hit the wall everything went black again.


	4. Showdown

Chapter Four - Showdown

When Tala came to she kept her eyes closed. She knew that she'd end up shackled again. She could feel the shackles around her wrists and ankles. She was correct. When she opened her eyes. She was in a cell with the other three ladies-in-waiting. "Where is she?" Tala asked looking at them.

"She is with Prince Ozai." said one. He name was Kali. Kali's voice was shaky. "He's going to kill us. He said he's going to start with you."

"He probably is." Tala muttered.

"Mialu tried to fight back." Another girl pointed out. "And she's still unconscious. Her face has been blue for about an hour now." And sure enough, the third girl was blue faced on the floor. Tala fell to her knees and crawled towards her. She put her head on her chest. And lifted her head again.

"She's dead Mika." Tala said. "Strangled, you can see the marks on her neck." Tala looked at her neck. White fingerprints were visible on her neck. Her eyes were wide open. They were open as if they had a secret they couldn't reveal. "What did she fight back against?"

"She slid through the bars..." Kali explained. "And came back with guards after her. She only had time to tell us-"

"That it's about Ozai...then the guards-"

"Grabbed her and when they brought her back-"

"She looked like that-"

"We don't know what happened. Mialu was a great earth bender..." Kali finished.

"You do know I'm a fire bender right?" She looked at them. They stared back at her with a look that said they hadn't known. "About four of five years ago...I snuck into the fire nation army and was found out. Ozai banished me. Then some earth benders came and noticed that I was one of the people that had escaped capture. When they brought me to the earth lord...I told him my story. He put in as the Princess' bodyguard. That way if anything happened to her...I could fight fire with fire...you should know the rest. Especially when I found about Milieu's arranged marriage." Kali and Mika looked at her. "Nobody should have to go with an arranged marriage. Especially someone as innocent as Milieu...to someone as heartless as Ozai...I brought her here for a wedding...and by golly...their not going to get a wedding..." Tala stood up and went to the cell bars. "Guard!" she called as a guard came. "I would like to request an audience with the fire lord."

"Why would he want to talk to a traitor fire bender?"

"I'm not a traitor. Ozai has rubbed that into your head. Now take me to the fire lord or I will beat your sorry ass..."

"As if..." the guard started to walk away. Tala knew she couldn't get that guy to believe she could kick his ass even though she could...so she decide to use her femine side.

"Your right..." She said in an innocent voice. She put her head down. "I can't beat you...I guess I am a traitor..." She started to cry fake tears. "And now that damned brat Ozai is going to kill me..." The guard stopped to listen. "And I've never...never...lost my burden..."

"What burden?" The guard was intrigued. Kali and Mika were trying hard not to laugh; they knew what she was doing. The guard looked at her. She really did look sad.

"The burden of chastity...and I was planning to give it to someone who would allow me to speak to the fire lord...so I could beg him not kill me...and maybe that someone would stand up for me...and...and..." She sobbed uncontrollably. Then fainted. The guard quickly opened the cell doors. And picked her up. He shook her head gently and she came to.

"I'm so...so sorry..." She said through her truly false tears.

"Don't worry ma'am." The guard said. "I'll take you to see the fire lord." He started to stand her up, but she fell again. "What's wrong? Why can't you walk?"

"The chains make it difficult to. Do you think you could loosen them for me...?" She sobbed. "And I'm frightfully cold in this thin earth nation wear. Do you think you could help keep me warm?" Before she had finished she was out of the chains. And quickly rendered the guard unconscious. She then stole his armor. "Thanks Hun...your armor will keep me warm." She then freed the other two girls.

"Go...find your mistress...and if you run into fire guards along the way...let your instinct take control..." Tala then ran off. She walked through the castle. She didn't know her way around it very well, and she ran into dead ends often.

"What are you doing here?" she ran into a guard. Tala removed her helmet.

"I'm a present for his Fire Lordship." She said in the sweet voice that no one could resist. Her hair covered up her scar.

"He sent for a geisha? Ok." The guard led her to the fire lord's chambers.

"Your Lordship..." Tala said when the guard left; she bowed respectfully to his throne.

"Wench! How dare you come here now!" He thundered.

"Please sir!" Tala begged down on her hands and knees. "I mean no disrespect now! I know that what I did was wrong! I betrayed my countries honor! I defiled their laws, and I served my just banishment today by injuring your son, His Highness Prince Ozai, but believe me now! I mean no disrespect!"

"And why should I believe you!" The fire lord shouted as the flames around his throne erupted.

"Because, you believed me enough once to marry your son, His Highness Prince Iroh, why should your trust be any different. I SAVED YOU SONS LIFE!" Tears poured down her face as she sobbed bitterly remembering those times.

"Why should I put my trust in you? You took away my sons independent marriage by causing him to loose his temper!"

"Because you and your son took away EVERYTHING that I had! You killed EVERYONE I ever held dear! And your son finished them off! I have more reason to hate you more than anyone alive..." She stopped shouting her fears, and her sobs ceased a little. "And I'm forgiving you for the wrongs your family did to me..."

"You make a point! But nothing, NOTHING, can repair the shame you distinguished upon a royal member of MY family!"

"Was I not your family to? You gave my father money to provide and guards to protect me from-"

"Shut-up you Insolent brat! The only way to repay what you've done is an Egni-Kai!" He shouted at her. Tala started to think back on her life. She didn't really want to battle Ozai...and until now she never knew why...Earlier it was just to make him happy, but now she knew the real reason.

"Your Lordship..." she said still on her hands and knees. "I never really wanted to dual your son..."

"And why not! It's probably the only decency you have left in this nation! You stole your father's armor! Impersonated a soldier! By the law you should be dead."

"Because..." She looked at the fire lord. "I love him."

"WHAT?" he roared.

"You can beat me, torture me, bury me alive...I don't care, at least my conscience will be clear...I have forgiven my enemies and those that did me wrong...what guilt do I have to face?"

The fire lord was silent for a moment. The fire lord was wise, and there were many things he didn't teach Ozai. Reason was one of them. "I understand Ms. Tala. Forgive me for my rants. It has taken awhile for it to sink in." He said still in a slightly angry voice. "As you have stated, at one point I did consider you as family, because you were to marry my son, Iroh...and you did save my son, Ozai, from almost certain death." He said. He raised his voice. "But the shame you committed against him cannot be forgiven. You were sent here for a wedding, and a wedding there shall be. Between you and my son..."

"Prince Iroh?"

"No...Ozai."

"What! No your lordship! I couldn't! I don't want to-"

"Non sense! If you love him and he loves you then by Avatar there will be a wedding!"

"He what! He loves me!"

"Yes." The fire lord said as guards grabbed her wrists. "He would never forgive himself for banishing you...after all...you are the most beautiful girl in your generation." The guards started to drag Tala from the room.

"No! You don't understand! He can't ever know! Your lordship! No!" She screamed as she was dragged from the room.

The fire lord smirked in his triumph. True, he had taken care of her and maybe his spoiled worthless son. Ozai, who had been standing in the shadows over heard their conversation.

"Hello, son." The fire lord said descending the throne.

"Father." Ozai bowed stepping towards his father.

"Feel better."

"About what?"

"Knowing that the girl you love loves you back. I see why she intrigued you."

"Huh?"

"Well think about it. She's attractive, except for that scar, she can fight, and she beat you in combat. Hell, she's not even in my age group and I'm attracted."

"Dad?" Ozai said in a 'that's gross' kind of voice.

"Of course, when you're fire lord, age doesn't matter."

"Father! I won't let you!"

"And who says I can't!"

Ozai thought for a moment. "Fine. I'll marry her. But, I'll be far nicer to her than you were to mother; it's the least I can do for her." Ozai left.

The fire lord was alone. "The boy is learning fast. If he marries her, he'll become smarter in how this monarchy is actually run. I can't allow that. She'll talk sense into the boy. The same way his mother tried. His mother might have won over Iroh, but this girl will not win over my son, no matter how gorgeous she really is." He sat back on his throne.

"Hey...Uhh...Ozai." Iroh said as he came up behind his brother.

"What!" Ozai was furious.

"Uhh...I was just wondering. Why are you so mad?" Iroh asked as his brother told him the whole story.

"Oh...so what are you going to do?"

"Huh?"

"What are you going to do about it? You're not just going to let dad have his way are you."

"What choice do I have?"

"Do you remember what you told me years ago?"

"I tell you lots of things, why would I remember one thing."

"You said that you were the Prince and you could do whatever you want. What happened to that Ozai? That was the Ozai I remember. Not this one who does as he's told, the one who broke the rules."

"Your right..." Ozai said. He thought for a moment. "And a heads up dude...stop reading proverbs, you'll give yourself a headache. Plus it's a turn off." Ozai left his brother.

"Whatever, just remember. I had her first." Iroh ran off.

"Idiot...he never even met her, he didn't know his luck." Ozai stormed down the corridor. When he got to his chambers he heard someone beating against the door. "Great..." he rolled his eyes. "Back away from the door Tala!" he shouted opening the door and quickly closing it.

"Great it's you...how else could my day get worse!" Tala shouted trying to open the door again.

"What, shouldn't you be happy to see me?"

"Why would I be you murderer!"

"Because I heard you talking to my father."

Tala froze. "What..." Her eyes opened wide.

"Ya, I heard the whole thing." Ozai crossed his arms.

"How...how do you know I didn't lie?"

"Because you're at a loss for words now, like I uncovered some truth." Ozai turned away from her. Tala looked down. She couldn't bring herself to think of a comeback...yet.

"But..." She stated. "You love me too..."

"So...after all, in your own words, 'I'm just a spoiled prince' how do you know your love is really love."

"Because. Your father said you couldn't forgive yourself for this." She moved her hair from her face as he turned around. True the scar was hideous and she couldn't ever be the same, not with that huge ass scar.

"I can fix that..." Ozai said taking her hand. She pulled away.

"You have no right to touch me!"

"I'll touch you if I want to touch you!"

"Says who!"

"Says me! Hey! If it wasn't for me you'd be dead!"

"What does that have to do with you touching me!" She punched him. He grabbed her wrists.

"Look! Do want that scar to be less noticeable or what...now come on!" He dragged her down the corridors. She was protesting all the time. Eventually they got to the medical chambers. "Now sit down." He ordered as he shoved her into a chair. "Stay."

"I'm not an animal!"

"You're behaving like one."

"And like your not."

"Shut-up!" He got a metal container that had a little cream at the bottom. "Well this is the last of it...I'm not even supposed to know it exists."

"What is it?"

"Third-degree-burn ointment."

"But aren't you supposed to apply that right after you get the wound and not five years later?"

"It's long-lasting." Ozai said as he took the little bit of it out and put it on her scar. "Now leave it there." Ozai ordered putting the empty container away.

"You want me to walk around with this cream crap on my face?"

"No. We'll stay here...of course by we, I mean you."

"You're not going to leave me here are you?"

"Of course I will." Ozai said about to leave. Suddenly Tala's mood changed.

"Okay..." She said innocently standing up and walking over to him. "I guess I could stay here...alone...but..." He turned to look at her and raised his eyebrows. "It'll be awfully lonely in here. Who knows what I'd do." She whispered in his ear.

"Yes." Ozai said sitting her back down again. "It'll be awfully lonely in here, but you're a big girl, I think you can handle it."

"But Ozai..." she said in a fake sob. "I don't like being alone." She said batting her eyes.

"Look, Tala..." Ozai said. "Although your need to be near me is really wonderful and all, I have been with many, MANY girls in the past and I know the fake sympathy and need card. Nice try. But if you're serious..." Ozai started to take off his armor. He was as fit as he used to be, except better. Tala seriously considered it, until her mood changed.

"I hate you!" she spat at him.

"Really because it sound like you just wanted me desperately...what are playing at?"

"Why are trying to get rid of my scar?" she changed the subject.

"Because..." He walked over to her in his fit self. "I can't marry someone with a scar the size of the earth nation, and speaking of the earth nation, like I'd actually marry her...she's on death row. We knew you were helping them out, It was a trick to get YOU here, tuts." He said leaving.

"What!"

"That's right. Sorry about that, Hun."

"You...you..." she thought for a minute. "You knew I'd come back to you. Ever since you left me in the forest...you knew...so you planned this out in order to...in order to get your way! YOU SELFISH, SEXIST, LIEING, EGOTISITCAL, HYPOCRITICAL BIGGIT!" She spat in his eye. "I hope you choke on your own bile!" Ozai smirked. "You wanted to marry me!"

"No actually...I didn't..." Ozai said. "I was SUPPOSED to marry Milieu but I didn't want to. We wanted to capture you, and in the process I was supposed to marry that princess. Father forced me to, but then you went and begged him for mercy, then he said that we have to marry...but trust me, I never wanted to marry you."

"Then why did you want me?"

"Same reason I wanted every other girl in my life."

"Why you little-!"

"You slipped through my fingers and I couldn't have that."

"You really are a beast!" Tala shouted charging at him. Ozai grabbed her wrists and burned them teasingly.

"Now, now miss Tala." Ozai said sitting her down. When he had her in the chair he put his knee in her stomach. "Calm down. After all you don't want to be hurt by a beast." Tala tried to free her wrists. The cream on her face was sinking into her face turning it normal again. "Know what, you were a lot tougher as a guy." He smirked as he leaned in to kiss her. She pushed him off into the wall.

"Stay away from me!" she started to cry. "You filthy, lying, ungrateful creep!" She was still in the chair.

"Fine...stay in here!" Ozai said. "And to think, I was going to keep you company, doll." He left.

"Grrr..." Tala said after he left. "He's so stupid! He thinks that because of his good looks and dreamy figure that he can get any girl he wants." She sobbed to herself in a low voice knowing that he was standing outside the door. True, she did love him. He was strong, good looking, some times understandable, and he actually felt guilt for hurting her. No one had ever done that. Also he looked really good. (imagine an older non-scarred Zuko drools on keyboard woops sorry...) "Oh who am I kidding..." she said to herself as tears rolled gently down her face. "I should have known this would have happened. If I'd have only stayed where I was when daddy died, instead of seeking revenge...or whatever the reason was that I joined that army..." She held her knees and closed her eyes crying so slightly that only she could hear herself. "I'm so stupid." She buried her face in her knees as the cream dissolved into her face. As she sat there by herself she remembered what her mother would say to her when she was upset, before the fire lord killed her. Tala could swear she could hear her mother's voice, telling her:

"Tala, Tala, Tala." Said her mother's voice. "It's not your fault...well maybe it is but, I know you hear this all the time but, well, no matter ho bad things get they can always get worse."

"How momma..." she whispered as though her mother was there.

"You could be stuck with that awful Prince Ozai..."

"But, I am momma..."

"Well then...look at the Brightside you could be fat (no offense to fat people...fat people rock! except me...I'm not fat...)...or bald (no offense)...or have bad breathe... (please, take offense to that one)" Tala laughed a little.

"Momma, you always knew what to say in situations like this. I miss you so...so very much." Tala said. This time her mother's voice didn't ring in her ear. Tala felt a little better. But it still haunted her that she was the last of her family; if she died then they'd never go on. But what would Ozai care, he'd probably have his way with her and then kill her. She felt her face were her scar had been. She couldn't feel the cream.

"I must have cried it off..." she sniffled to herself. She waited until she was completely sure that you couldn't tell she had been crying, before she stood up. She carefully walked to the door and found it unlocked. She stuck her head out into the hall. No one was there. You could only see the torches that lit the hallways. As soon as she stuck a foot out of the door, she heard someone.

"Who's there!" she called. No one answered. Instead, she saw Ozai standing there. He still had his chest armor off. "Get away from me."

"Make me..."

"I would rather die..."

"THAT CAN BE ARRANGED!"

"If you think I'm going to warm up to you...forget it." She said keeping her rather sad; I don't really care what you do voice.

"You'll warm up to me eventually." He said as she turned away from him.

"Not in the Hell I won't..." Tala said. "And there's no way your going to make me."

"I'll give you a choice my dear, you can go easy, or you can go hard, but one way or another you will warm up to me." He put a hand on her shoulder.

"No...give me one good reason why I should." Tala moved away.

"I saved your life."

"And I saved yours...now give me a good reason..."

"I love you..."

"And so do I now show it you asshole!" Tala ran off down the corridor only to find guards at the end of it.

"I do...I show it by anger and brutality...and YOU WILL warm up to me..."

"NO..."

"Fine...then I'll just have to court you like a normal person." He took her hand.

"Don't touch me..."

"What are you juvenile come on..." he pulled her down the corridors. He led her into an empty chamber. He let her go. "I'm sure you are well aware that there is magic in this world, yes?"

"Yes...maybe...no..."

"Well there is...its called music."

"You're a musician?"

"No...but this guy is." He pointed into the shadows of the room. Iroh stood next to a piano. He started to play.

"You're using your brother to court me! Oh my Avatar! You have to be the most selfish person in the world!" She started to leave. Only to get caught by him again. "Do you ever tire ever grabbing me or do you just like the view?"


	5. Courtship

Chapter Five- Courtship

"There's nothing to view." Ozai said still holding her. "Besides, it's a lot easier to grab hold of you than it is to talk to you."

"What!"

"Take it as a compliment, dear, it's one of the nicest things you'll probably ever hear from me."

"Stop calling me names, I'm not yours..."

"Yet." Ozai said as Iroh left.

"Let her go." Tala said.

"Who?" Ozai questioned.

"Princess Milieu."

"And have you take her place at my side..." Ozai said. "You don't know what you are doing-"

"If I did..." She interrupted. "Would you let her go?"

"Yes...but..." Ozai said. "But you must promise to stay here, with me...forever..."

Tala paused to think for a moment. "You have my word." Tala said. Ozai kissed her.

"Done." He left her in that room. Tala stood there for awhile. And when Ozai had come back she was on the other side of the room with dried tears in her eyes and she was looking out of the window.

"Come." Ozai ordered. She turned around. The cream on her face had completely vanished. The only part of the scar that remained surrounded her eye, but it looked like eye shadow, so it was hard to notice. Her eyes looked at him with more hate and rage then she could possibly express on the outside. But also in her eyes there was love. A love that, until now, he hadn't seen before. When she walked over to him she never said a word. But he noticed a mark on her cheek. Her right cheek was red as though she had been slapped, recently.

"What happened?" Ozai asked softly.

"Nothing..." Tala said with fear in her voice.

"Tell me..."

"NOTHING ALRIGHT!" Tala shouted.

"Geez...excuse me for the slap on your cheek..."Ozai grabbed her arm again. She was used to it now. She kept her head down. There was a tiny rust stain on the armor that she had stolen. It was from her tears. "You cry too much." Ozai pointed out.

"Why do you care...I'm just some girl you can use to your privilege." Tala said sounding depressed.

"First of all...you are WAY to depressing okay...you were like that when I first met you. You cry over everything, for pity's sake you even cried when I left you alone."

"I'm sorry..." Tala said. "You haven't had it as bad as I have okay...my whole family-"

"OKAY I GET IT! I KNOW THAT MY FATHER AND I KILLED YOUR WHOLE FAMILY! I GET IT! STOP BRINGING IT UP! YOU CAN'T KEEP HARPIN' ON THAT FOREVER OKAY SO GET OVER IT." Ozai shouted. "AND IF I HEAR YOU MENTION IT AGAIN YOU'LL HAVE TWO SCARS INSTEAD OF ONE!"

"Fine...you fat bastard..."

"FAT!"

"Did I say Fat...I meant fit...honey..." She said in a different tone.

"Just come on..."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Remember when I was going to introduce Milieu to the nation...well now it's your turn. Now do as I say and I won't have to hurt you..."

"Whatever."

"Don't speak at all and try to smile."

Tala smiled an obviously fake smile as she was thrown out onto a balcony where thousands of civilians stood. The fire lord was making a speech and had pointed to her. They cheered as Ozai pushed her further out onto the balcony.

"Stop waving..." Ozai said through his teeth.

"Oh, blow it out your ass." Tala said through her teeth as she kept on waving.

"Okay go..."

"Go where...?"

"Back inside we're done."

"All of that for nothing?" Tala said when they got back inside.

"What, did you think I'd make a speech?"

"Well, yes actually."

"Well get used to it, now lets get you out of that armor." Ozai pushed her into another room where a whole bunch of servants took her. They took off all of her clothes and shoved her into a metal tub.

"Is there no decency in this nation anymore?"

"Well come on, doll, it's not like I haven't seen a naked girl before...I mean come on I'm a Prince who's twenty...give me a break." Ozai rolled his eyes.

"So when exactly do we get married..." Tala asked as the servants washed her hair.

"Tonight..."

"WHAT! Taking things a little fast aren't you."

"No...It's a policy, when a Prince hits twenty; he has until a week after his twentieth birthday to get married."

"And tonight marks the end of your week..."

"Yup..."

"You're not getting me into bed..."

"Hey, you're the one who said you'd switch places with Milieu..."

"Ya, but that doesn't mean my body is yours..."

"What's wrong, tuts, afraid to loose your virginity?"

"No!" Tala said as she was wrapped in more clothes. "I just don't want to loose it to you."

"To bad...YOU do as I say...YOUR just a figure...I'M the one with the power here cutie."

"I'm sorry, dear." She said using a whole fake bad emphasis on dear.

"You really need to stop calling me names."

"You call me names..."

"But I'm a dude...its different concept."

"Whatever." Tala rolled her eyes. "And would you stop looking at me! I don't care how many bodies you've seen I still find it completely uncomfortable."

"Fine, if it'll make you comfortable, tuts."

The wedding took place that evening (I'm rushing through this because I have no idea what fire nation brides wear. And I'm not creative enough to make up one...) That night Ozai and Tala stood in their room after the reception. Ozai was trying...more like forcing Tala to do things for him (not those things...fucking perverts) but she wouldn't.

"YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE!" Ozai shouted.

"Oh! I'm unbelievable!" Tala retorted. "You should talk Mr. ooooo look at me I'm a Prince and I forcibly bonded this girl to me."

"No." Ozai remarked. "You wanted to be bound to me. And I only said I do because of your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yes. Have you looked at them?" Ozai had a gentler tone now. "They show what you feel on the inside, but there is also love. A love that until recently I was too blind to see, a love that you will never admit to. I only love you because YOU are the only person who ever beat me in combat, YOU are the only person who ever deceived me, and YOU are the only one who I have even thought about in more than a lustful way! And I reveal that to you in hate."

"Ya...like maybe in the future you'll be less responsive..." Tala said.

"What to you mean?"

"When I was in the earth nation..." Tala began as she got a serious/sad tone. "I got my fortune read by Aunt Bee. She told me I would marry a great ruler who will blinded by his own stupidity. My husband would place himself and his needs above all others. She said that he would use his own selfishness to take over the world that his father was to weak to destroy. I come to realize now...that that person is you." Her voice started rising. "She also said that my husband would be the death of me. Again I realize that is you. You are selfish, and you do place yourself above all needs of others. For Avatar's sake, she said you'd banish your own kin to get your way!"

"And you believed her?"

"Yes I do."

"This Aunt Bee you speak of, I went to her once to when I was like...oh who cares how old I was. She told me, that I would marry the most beautiful girl in my generation, and that not only was I blessed with power and strength, but that I would be respected and feared by all. She said that I would be the strongest fire lord since who knows when. She also said that I would do what I could to please my wife..." Ozai said in contrast. "So there ha! We do end up happy!"

"You don't understand..." Tala sat down. "You're too blinded by your own selfishness to see it, you're power hungry Ozai, your power hungry!" She stood up and grabbed his shoulders and looked at him in the eye. "You will be strong and powerful...but that's not always a good thing."

"It's not? Power and strength are great things."

"But they are also frightening." Tala said in a shaky voice. "When people get too power hungry they loose sight of what's really important to them...they even hurt the ones they love the most to get them to believe in strength and power, more than love..." Tala let go of him and walked to the other side of the room. "And when they hurt that loved one, they become desperate, and they...they..." She turned to him. "They do anything to get them back." (Oh my cod...did I just type those words...my cod I'm magical!) She turned from him again and looked at herself in a mirror. She saw herself as that little girl five years before. The little girl who was so desperate to get her father back, that she joined the army. Ozai walked up behind her. He hadn't really paid attention to what she said, but he knew it had to be important. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm not power hungry now am I?" He whispered in her ear.

"...Not yet..." She frowned; she knew that he would become power hungry; she knew that he hadn't listened to a word she had said. But he had just honestly tried to court her, and he honestly had tried to make her feel better...she knew what she had to do for him but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He would have to wait. She pulled out of his grasp.

"What?" He asked following her as she paced across the room.

"It's not right..." she said. She looked at him. "Now is not the time...it's not right..."

"Why isn't it right...?" Ozai asked as he persuaded her with his good looks. She was seriously considering it because of his current condition. "This is probably the nicest way you'll get it...this is the easy way..." he said sternly.

"I know..." she turned away. It was the easy way...she had gotten herself into this so deeply that there was no time to turn back. She had passed the point of no return. If she didn't do it willingly, he would make her...and he WAS her husband, by HER choice...it was only fair to give him what he wanted...after all, his prophecy said that he would do what he could to make his wife happy...but how long, the prophecy didn't say. But he would be the death of her...it was best to enjoy her willing marriage as best as she could. "You're right..." she caved.

"Really? Wow! I mean, of course I'm right." Ozai was shocked. She had actually agreed with him on something. He approached her and spun her around. Then he kissed her.

(Okay, I know that there are readers who want to read on in this scene, but I refuse to type scene's like this until I have my own experience to base it on. I could just read a book like that and get information that way, but it wouldn't be the same as personal experience. Sorry guys...)

(the story is better without that scene anyway)


	6. Tala's Secret

Chapter Six - Tala's Secret

When Tala woke up that next morning, Ozai was gone. She was still shocked at her own daring. It took her a lot of courage to give herself to Ozai. And in a way, she felt more attached to him than before...she blushed as she thought of it. She sat up and held the blanket over her. She smiled at the thought again. She was truly a girl in love, and if she wasn't in love with her husband, she was in love with the thrill she got from him. How shallow could she be...she was in it for the love, not for love but for the love.

She saw a robe by her bedside and she put it on as she got out of the bed. She spun around like a lackadaisical girl, like she was five again. There was a huge grin on her face from ear to ear. She walked to a closet where the only thing she found was armor. She put on the armor and looked at the bed. It was messy and there was a stain on the sheets (no need for detail). She quickly cleaned up the stain and made the bed. Then she collapsed on it like an idiot in love. She laughed to herself with her eyes closed for no reason. The sun came through the windows and made a pattern of light along the floor. She danced in those rays of light. She heard someone open the door and she stopped. She gazed in horror. The fire lord was there. He looked enraged.

"You stupid, stupid girl." He stomped towards her and slapped her across the face in the same place he had the day before. "How dare you do this to me? To Ozai? It is deceitfulness Tala and I will not have it under my rule."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh! Now you have amnesia? Do you remember what I talked to about before Ozai took you from that room yesterday!"

"Yes. But does that have to- Ow!" He had slapped her again. "Stop hitting me!"

"I'll hit you if I want! You're taking my son away from me!"

"How?"

"You're filling his head with ideas!"

"Huh-ow!" she was slapped again.

"He wants women to join the fire nation army!" He slapped her again. This time when he slapped her he drew blood. "That is not women's posts! They are meant for having children, and cleaning up messes!"

"No we're not!" Tala shouted as she grabbed his hand as he tried to slap her again. She started to burn him. He laughed.

"Do you think you're puny little flame can hurt me...I am the fire lord! And you're just a slave to my son." He threw her on the ground. She hit the wall. "I told you not to fill his head with thoughts! And you did! I warned you!" He started sending flaming kicks at her as she sat against the wall gasping for breathe. He dealt a hard blow. But she bore it without shedding a tear. "And now you're in love with him even more! You dance around like it's a game to you! But it's not! This is reality not a game! You think you can move me around like a tile on a pi-sho board!" When he kicked her blood came out of her mouth as she coughed.

"Go...away!" Tala said.

"No! This is my house!" the fire lord shouted. "Get out! I give you a second chance, and this is how you repay me! By ruining my son's reputation! He might have been a great ruler if it weren't for you! And your army poisoning thoughts!"

"You're wrong!" Tala shouted as she slowly slid up the wall.

"Oh am I?"

"Yes! Ozai will be a great ruler! I had nothing to do with his army decision! It was all him!" As Tala said this the fire lord grabbed hold of her chin.

"No. You poisoned his mind just like his mother tried to do! This is why I wanted him to stay away from you!" He started to choke Tala. She grabbed her neck in an attempt to stop him.

"GET OUT!" rang a voice form the doorway. It was Ozai. Tala fell down as the fire lord released her.

"Ozai! It's not what it looks like."

"REALLY! THAN WHAT IS IT?"

"I, Uhh...son now come on I am your father...I wouldn't have touched her with out reason...I-"

"GET OUT!" Ozai pointed towards the door. "GET OUT OF MY KINGDOM!"

"YOUR kingdom! I'm still the fire lord here."

"NOT ANYMORE! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF MY KINGDOM!" Suddenly Ozai calmed down. "You have shown far more disrespect to your kingdom just now than any other man...or woman...I have every known. As a father you were supportive, but as a father-in-law, you're abusive. I will not tolerate your abusiveness so long as I am the heir to the throne. And at this time I assume the throne."

"I refuse to give you the authority."

"I don't need your permission." Ozai said. "According to the law, as long as I am twenty, married and have reason to suspect you of treason and I have valid evidence I can overthrow you with a snap of my fingers."

"I am no traitor."

"According to the law, abusing a married woman to get your way is treason...get out."

"But son-"

"I SAID...get out." As Ozai pointed towards the door the fire lord left and was never seen again. Ozai just looked at Tala. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Tala said in a 'I need help voice'

"Good." Ozai left.

"Jerk..." Tala muttered as she tried to stand up. There was a sharp pain in her stomach where the fire lord had kicked her repeatedly. It hurt her badly. A servant came into the room.

"Oh miss Tala!" the girl said getting down wiping the blood off of Tala. "Lord Ozai sent me in..."

"Lord...he was...serious..." Tala hurt when she talked.

"Yes ma'am." The servant nodded. "He told me to tell you that your secret is safe with him."

"Ya...I bet it is..." Tala was being sarcastic. The servant helped her up onto her feet.

"I'm Lacy..."

"Lacy..." Tala thought it was a weird name.

"Yes. I'm your servant...Lord Ozai said he didn't want you to be alone." Lacy had a positive attitude. To Tala, it seemed like she had it all the time.

"Why?"

"He doesn't want anything to happen to you ma'am."

"Yet..." Tala said under her breathe.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

Lacy led her to the bed where she fell onto the covers. Tala closed her eyes and took in a deep breathe the second she hit the covers.

"Hey Lacy..."

"Yes ma'am."

"Am I gonna die?"

"No ma'am you just have a bruise." Lacy was removing her armor so she could look at the wound. "Although you'll have to keep it easy at night."

"What!" Tala glared at her.

"I'm sorry ma'am. It's not my place." Lacy had left the door open a guard walked by. Lacy stopped what she was doing to look at him.

"What?"

"Nothing...it's just...nothing..."

"Is it that soldier?"

"Yes." Lacy blushed.

Tala forced herself to sit up. "Let me guess...he doesn't even know you exist..." Lacy nodded. "And when ever he walks by you drop whatever item you happen to be holding." Lacy nodded again.

"How did you know?"

"It's a girl thing." Tala motioned for her to sit down next to her. "Next time he comes in you're going to talk him."

"No!" Lacy said. "I couldn't!"

"I will then." Tala reassured her.

"No!" Lacy decided to change the subject. "We need to change your clothes. You can't wear armor, you're a lady."

"No." Tala ordered. "I'm not a normal...'lady'...I'm unique and I'll wear what I want to wear..."

"But Lord Ozai said-"

"Fuck Lord Ozai. I'm wearing this...It's quite comfortable actually." Tala and Lacy spent most of the day talking to each other, and getting to know each other a little better. All the excitement made Tala forget about her bruise. She felt like a little girl again. She knew eventually she would have to break away from this fun and see Ozai again.

"Oh my goodness!" Lacy was too good-natured to curse. "You were supposed to be at dinner ten minutes ago!" Lacy rushed Tala from the room and down several corridors.

"How do you know where to go?"

"You get used to it eventually." Lacy shoved her into the dining area as some announced her. As the fire mistress.

"You are late." Ozai said sternly.

"I'm sorry..." Tala said as she sat next to her husband. She hadn't eaten in forever. She saw that Ozai was sitting with a lot of important people and they all appeared to be high ranking military officers.

"Why is she wearing armor?" Said one of the gentlemen.

"Because I feel like it." Tala retorted.

"Why is she speaking?" said another one.

"Because...she has a 'personality'." Ozai said glaring at Tala.

"Is that possible?" Said the first gentlemen.

"Yes General Haiku. It is."

"Obviously." Haiku said. "Make sure it doesn't interfere with this meal again young fire lord."

"Fired." Ozai said.

"Excuse me."

"You're fired, get out."

"Why?"

"Because. You're insulting my family. Only I have the right to do that. Now get out." Guards escorted Haiku out. "Anyone else."

"No sir." They said in unison.

"Now. She will keep her mouth shut; I will deal with her at a separate time." The rest of the meal Tala carried on in silence. After words a guard escorted her back to her room, and she stayed in there alone. In the silence she felt her bruise again. She walked over to her bed and quickly fell asleep. Late that night Ozai walked in. He burned out every torch that lit the wall except the one on the nightstand. He looked at Tala. She was asleep, no doubt. When he looked at her, she was sighing. It was as though she was having a bad dream. She just kept sighing instead of breathing. She looked like she was about to cry. He hadn't notice that last night.

He ran a finger down her soft cheek. She shuddered. He kissed her lips gently, and then he blew out the torch and went to bed. When Tala woke up the next morning, Ozai was still in bed. He was deep in sleep. She quickly got out of bed...she didn't know what to do? She was still in her armor from the day before. Ozai mumbled something.

"Huh?" Tala questioned.

"Come back..." he muttered. "You can't wake up until I say you can..."

"Says who?"

"Get your ass over here." As he said this she reluctantly sat at the edge of the bed.

"You're like a child..." She muttered. Throughout the next few months this was how their mornings were. With each day, Ozai started ignoring her more and more, and she spent most days alone, because Ozai had ordered Lacy to stop visiting her. One day, Tala discovered she was pregnant. She was talking to an older female servant when it happened.

"Oh my Avatar!" said the old woman.

"What is it Kava!" Tala asked shocked.

"You're pregnant!"

"What! How do you know?"

"Come now, you're not drinking alcohol, your boobs are bigger, you can't fight anymore, you've momentarily lost your bending powers, and you've been in a PMS mood the past three weeks."

"And you've noticed this?"

"Yes."

"Don't tell him."

"Tell who ma'am."

"Ozai."

"His Lordship! Oh but I have to!"

"Why!"

"He's been waiting for this day his whole life!"

"What day!"

"The day when his wife is pregnant with a son!"

"How do you know it's a son?"

"Come now, you know it's a son when you loose your bending powers, because it's transferring them to the baby."

"But-"

"And both parents are fire benders. Another sure sign of a male." Kava said. "His lordship is expecting a son!" Rang Kava's voice. Dozens of servants flocked to Tala's presence.

"Is it true?"

"Oh Happy day!"

"Congratulations!" The servants would say and then they'd place her hand along her belly. Suddenly Ozai came through; she couldn't have been more relieved. Suddenly all the servants left. She and Ozai were soon alone.

Chapter Seven - The Final Chapter

"Ozai..." she sighed in relief at having been rescued by the slew of servants.

"How dare you!"

"Huh?"

"How dare you use that tone with me!"

"What are you-?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only just found out I didn't-" Ozai had kissed her.

"Do you know what this means!" He thundered when he pulled away.

"No..."

"It means...that...I have an heir...and you're positive it's a boy..."

"No...not entirely..."

"Well you better be..." Ozai left. Tala was alone in her chambers again.

"Was I a cute baby?" Zuko asked stupidly.

"What did I say about interrupting?"

"I thought that-"

"SHUT-UP! The story is almost through!"

That night when Ozai came in, Tala was still awake. "I need to talk to you." He said sternly.

"What is it?"

"It is obvious that you knew you were pregnant and refused to tell me. So-"

"What!" Tala protested. "You have as usual refused to believe the truth and come to the wrong conclusion."

"LET ME FINISH WOMAN!" As Ozai shouted, the baby inside her turned. It knew fear.

"Don't shout! You're scaring your son." She could so use her pregnancy to get him calm, for at least nine months.

"Fine...tell me...everything...EVERY SECRET you've ever had since you meet me, every excruciating detail." With that Tala told him her story. When she was finished Ozai looked at her.

"You've made me out to be a total jerk!" He slapped her, and then he kissed her. "I've done everything I could to make you happy! And this is how you repay me!"

"Make me happy! Name one thing you've done to make me happy!"

"I gave you servants."

"Then you took them away."

"I gave you a home."

"Because you refused to let me go."

"I gave you food; I even cured your hideous scar!"

"Because you didn't want to marry someone with a scar the size of Texas!"

"What's Texas?"

"I don't know!" (couldn't resist)

"I showed you love!"

"As you did every other girl in your life, I just happen to be the one you married!" Tala still was attached to him, because he was her first.

"That's it!"

"What!"

"The day that child is born, you are out of here! Dead, caput, end of your life!" He left. The next nine months were pure agony to Tala. He only got harsher towards her. Despite her real feelings. When the baby was born, sure enough, it was a son. She never got to hold him, because Ozai snatched him away. After the birth she stood in the dungeon awaiting her arriving death. She cried for the first time in who knows how long.

"Tala..." Came a voice, it was Iroh's.

"Iroh..."

"Yes...I need to tell you something..."

"What?"

"Remember that day in the forest several years ago, when you joined the army, and someone caught you as you fell...that was me."

"You...what, how did you-"

"I'd know you anywhere in a heartbeat...but remember...A heart once imprisoned, is now it's own in full measure." And with that Iroh left, and Ozai came.

"Come to butcher me out before you kill me..." Tala said.

"No. actually..."

"What then...jerk?"

"I came to set you free..." Ozai opened the cell door. "I want you to run, run away and never return, and this time, don't come back." He held the baby in his hands.

She started to leave as she glanced at her son. "May I?" She held out her arms, Ozai handed her the child. She held it in her arms. She felt a sensation in her stomach, she was a mother! A mother! After a few minutes she kissed the child and handed the baby to Ozai. She started to leave.

"Tala, wait!" Ozai walked up to her.

"Huh?"

"I want to apologize; I've been a real jerk to you. When you told me your side of the story a few months ago it got me thinking on how cruel I was to you...and I just want to say I'm sorry."

"I forgive you..." She said as Ozai drew her close and kissed her with more passion than he ever had before. He almost felt sorry he let her go. But he watched her leave, and he never saw her again.

"Then after that...I felt so bad that I called you Zuko...her military name..."

"But father..."

"Yes son..."

"You were supposed to tell me who I was named after, not the whole story. Some of that stuff I really didn't need to know."

"Whatever...I tried to entertain you, and you shove me away...typical...come on." He and Zuko left the room. But there was someone else in the room listening to the story. A hooded figure in a cape, and mask.

"Zuko..."

(yes there will be a sequel for Zula...working on it now)


	7. The Final Chapter

Chapter Seven - The Final Chapter

"Ozai..." she sighed in relief at having been rescued by the slew of servants.

"How dare you!"

"Huh?"

"How dare you use that tone with me!"

"What are you-?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only just found out I didn't-" Ozai had kissed her.

"Do you know what this means!" He thundered when he pulled away.

"No..."

"It means...that...I have an heir...and you're positive it's a boy..."

"No...not entirely..."

"Well you better be..." Ozai left. Tala was alone in her chambers again.

"Was I a cute baby?" Zuko asked stupidly.

"What did I say about interrupting?"

"I thought that-"

"SHUT-UP! The story is almost through!"

That night when Ozai came in, Tala was still awake. "I need to talk to you." He said sternly.

"What is it?"

"It is obvious that you knew you were pregnant and refused to tell me. So-"

"What!" Tala protested. "You have as usual refused to believe the truth and come to the wrong conclusion."

"LET ME FINISH WOMAN!" As Ozai shouted, the baby inside her turned. It knew fear.

"Don't shout! You're scaring your son." She could so use her pregnancy to get him calm, for at least nine months.

"Fine...tell me...everything...EVERY SECRET you've ever had since you meet me, every excruciating detail." With that Tala told him her story. When she was finished Ozai looked at her.

"You've made me out to be a total jerk!" He slapped her, and then he kissed her. "I've done everything I could to make you happy! And this is how you repay me!"

"Make me happy! Name one thing you've done to make me happy!"

"I gave you servants."

"Then you took them away."

"I gave you a home."

"Because you refused to let me go."

"I gave you food; I even cured your hideous scar!"

"Because you didn't want to marry someone with a scar the size of Texas!"

"What's Texas?"

"I don't know!" (couldn't resist)

"I showed you love!"

"As you did every other girl in your life, I just happen to be the one you married!" Tala still was attached to him, because he was her first.

"That's it!"

"What!"

"The day that child is born, you are out of here! Dead, caput, end of your life!" He left. The next nine months were pure agony to Tala. He only got harsher towards her. Despite her real feelings. When the baby was born, sure enough, it was a son. She never got to hold him, because Ozai snatched him away. After the birth she stood in the dungeon awaiting her arriving death. She cried for the first time in who knows how long.

"Tala..." Came a voice, it was Iroh's.

"Iroh..."

"Yes...I need to tell you something..."

"What?"

"Remember that day in the forest several years ago, when you joined the army, and someone caught you as you fell...that was me."

"You...what, how did you-"

"I'd know you anywhere in a heartbeat...but remember...A heart once imprisoned, is now it's own in full measure." And with that Iroh left, and Ozai came.

"Come to butcher me out before you kill me..." Tala said.

"No. actually..."

"What then...jerk?"

"I came to set you free..." Ozai opened the cell door. "I want you to run, run away and never return, and this time, don't come back." He held the baby in his hands.

She started to leave as she glanced at her son. "May I?" She held out her arms, Ozai handed her the child. She held it in her arms. She felt a sensation in her stomach, she was a mother! A mother! After a few minutes she kissed the child and handed the baby to Ozai. She started to leave.

"Tala, wait!" Ozai walked up to her.

"Huh?"

"I want to apologize; I've been a real jerk to you. When you told me your side of the story a few months ago it got me thinking on how cruel I was to you...and I just want to say I'm sorry."

"I forgive you..." She said as Ozai drew her close and kissed her with more passion than he ever had before. He almost felt sorry he let her go. But he watched her leave, and he never saw her again.

"Then after that...I felt so bad that I called you Zuko...her military name..."

"But father..."

"Yes son..."

"You were supposed to tell me who I was named after, not the whole story. Some of that stuff I really didn't need to know."

"Whatever...I tried to entertain you, and you shove me away...typical...come on." He and Zuko left the room. But there was someone else in the room listening to the story. A hooded figure in a cape, and mask.

"Zuko..."

(yes there will be a sequel for Zula...working on it now)


End file.
